Exodus Volunteer in Tijhza, Morocco

Peter Florence, a regular volunteer at our project in Tijhza, Morocco, gives a guided tour of the school where volunteers are working in conjunction with Baraka Community Parternships.

Baraka Community Partnerships April Update

Zambia

Since our last update, we have been focusing much of our energy on our mosquito nets campaign. To date, we have distributed 750 nets, with more to be distributed when one of our volunteers, Sian Roberts, visits Zambia in May. So far, the funds have been raised for 800 mosquito nets and we hope to reach a target of 1000 before she sets off from her home in Toronto to distribute the nets in the Chikumbi region of Zambia. Thanks Sian!

For our mosquito nets campaign, we have partnered with Against Malaria, who match our donations net for net. We are hoping to raise the funds to reach our target of 3500 nets by the end of the summer, which combined with Against Malaria's contribution would result in a total of 7000 nets to be distributed by us in the Chikumbi region.

Follow this link to find out more and to donate:

http://www.AgainstMalaria.com/baraka

Morocco

A testament to the lasting impact of being a Baraka volunteer, our upcoming May trip to Morocco (in conjunction with Exodus travel company) has been oversubscribed! As a result we have more money than planned for our project in the Atlas Mountains village of Tijhza, and most of the volunteers for the trip are returnees.

Some of the activities that we have planned for the trip include refurbishing the homes of the elderly and poor, painting a school classroom, clearing up rubbish with local children, planting 180 trees with the Forestry Commission and local government, completing the water tower started last October and more.

For more about volunteering opportunities please visit our site: http://www.barakacommunity.com/

Exodus Offers Responsible Tourism Trips to Tijhza, Morocco

A small amount of intrepid tourists find their way to Tijhza, but there is still the sense of a bygone era when passing through the village, especially considering electricity arrived only a few years ago. Although our intentions started with helping the Tijhza School, our project has now evolved to help the village and the wider community thanks to continuous donations from visiting Exodus clients. This project offers support to the Berber children and villagers of Tijhza Village by focusing on essentials that many take for granted, such as health care, education and a sustainable income.

The above quote is from an excellent write up about volunteer travel opportunities in Morocco with Exodus – the UK's leading exponent of responsible travel. Exodus is fully supportive of our projects offering both logistical and financial support. In fact, Baraka Community Partnerships designs itineraries for special volunteer trips, and Exodus Travels Ltd administers them. This way, responsible travellers can confidently book trips with an ABTA registered travel operator with over 35 years' experience in running adventure group tours worldwide.

So, if you're looking some fun the the Moroccan sun with a healthy dose of volunteering to a worthwhile cause, consider visiting the Atlas Mountains village of Tijhza, Morocco with Exodus in 2010. Their next trip will be in April.

Visit www.exodus.co.uk for more details.

Click here for the link to their Morocco Tijhza Village Project article.

Baraka Community Partnerships Update: July 2009

One of Baraka's sponsored Football teams in Lusaka, Zambia. This team is called - believe it or not - Manchester United.

Here’s a brief update to fill you in on all the good things happening with Baraka Community Partnerships. Please visit our website for more information and feel free to contact us at info@barakacommunity.com.

Morocco

Funding for a new water tower in the Atlas Mountain village of Tijhza has been secured! Just in time too as we have been informed about residents recently having to go more than a week without running water in their homes.

Find out more about how we help the people of Tijhza:
http://www.barakacommunity.com/morocco_projects.htm

Laos

Our relationship with Community Learning International is coming along nicely. CLI’s commitment to providing opportunities to children in need fits incredibly well with our ethos. With CLI, Baraka will build a school in the village of Kokneu. Being within reach of the town of Luang Prabang, working here will increase the possibility of organising volunteers. Already, we have raised more than fifty percent of the money required to build the school!

Find out more about Community Learning International:
http://www.communitylearninginternational.org/

Zambia

Our work in Zambia is coming along swimmingly with developments at both our projects improving!

In Chawama, we have developed a good relationship with a member of the board for Chawamaa Sports Academy. As the programme manager for this academy, he’s been most helpful providing us with a list of references that may prove fruitful in assisting us to inspire and entertain the community’s at-risk children through sport whilst raising awareness of the dangers of AIDS, alcohol and drug abuse, and promoting general health awareness, education and social integration.

Similarly, things are moving forward for the Chikumbi Community Centre where recent initiatives to educate the villagers on the dangers of AIDS, malaria and drug abuse have proven successful and popular.

Find out more about how we help people in Zambia:
http://www.barakacommunity.com/zambia_projects.htm

For more information about Baraka Community Partnerships, please visit BarakaCommunity.com.

Baraka Community Partnerships

A Baraka sponsored school in Morocco

So, what is Baraka Community Partnerships and what are we all about?

Well, Baraka Community Parternships is a small (very small!) charity involved with three projects: tow in Zambia and one in Morocco. We concentrate our focus in the fields of education, medication and the environment and aim to work with and alongside communities in determining what their needs and goals are and how we can help acheive them.

We have done quite a few things so far such as helping renovate schools, providing cleaner water and medical care, initiating energy saving schemes, tree planting, providing educational, sporting and clothes supplies, building toilet blocks and more. We have many more aspirations but want to make sure everything we do is done at the right time and the right pace and, thus, not to upset the status quo in the communities where we work.

So there’s a little info on what we are all about. Watch this space for some updates here and there, or check out our website at http://www.barakacommunity.com/

Andy Mckee

Baraka Community Partnerships Project Coordinator